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Linda Quattrochi

The Spirit of Stone-and-Light Canyon

Synopsis

Seventeen-year-old Abigail Brodie Carson—Abby—is adventurous, self-assured and, too often, impulsive. On an early summer evening, Abby finds herself alone in her backyard, bummed and brooding. Her pals Jake and Mayumi are on family vacations while she starts the summer stuck at home—as usual. However, a late-night encounter with her creepy neighbor swiftly puts an end to Abby’s frustrations, when she’s told a chilling legend—“The spirit is real, you know. And he follows all hikers through the canyon—his canyon”—a tale that leads to haunting nightmares.
But even the otherworldly existence of an ancient spirit doesn’t stop Abby from finding the secret canyon hidden in the rugged New Mexico wilderness. Alone in the canyon, Abby encounters inexplicable happenings— eerie sensations radiating from the rock formations, being knocked down by an invisible force, and a prickly feeling of being watched—leading her to believe there may be truth to the legend of the spirit who guards the canyon.
But when Abby’s friends return from vacation, she ignores the sinister warnings—including a slashed tire—and convinces them to camp and hunt fossils in the canyon. But there’s much more to Stone-and-Light Canyon than an ancient legend. And it soon becomes clear that their survival depends on outsmarting not only an invisible and tenacious force, but also a sinister, flesh and blood inhabitant of this eerie world.

Author Biography

Linda Quattrochi’s love of all things science led her to a PhD in Biochemistry, a career in Molecular Pharmacology and Toxicology, and to her recent interest in Paleontology. In 2013, she received a certification in Paleontology from the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, where she currently volunteers as a preparator, restoring dinosaur, crocodile, and turtle fossils. In good weather, she’s out in the buttes and canyons hunting fossils. This recent passion spurred her into writing her first YA novel, The Spirit of Stone-and-Light Canyon, an action/adventure story set in New Mexico, one of her favorite places of the Southwest.

Author Insight

The Need to Know

Seventeen-year-old Abby is adventurous, self-assured and, too often, impulsive. On an early summer evening, she finds herself alone in her backyard, bummed and brooding. Her pals Mayumi and Jake are on family vacations while she starts the summer stuck at home—as usual. However, a late-night encounter with her creepy neighbor swiftly puts an end to Abby’s frustrations, when she’s told a chilling legend— “The spirit is real, you know. And he follows all hikers through the canyon—his canyon”—a tale that leads to haunting nightmares. But even the haunting of an ancient spirit doesn’t stop Abby from wanting to find the secret canyon hidden in the rugged New Mexico wilderness. As she told her friends, “She couldn’t explain it, but she needed this adventure.” I wonder how many of us can quiet the subconscious—or conscious—fears, shove on our boots, hit the trail, and kick up some dust of our own.

Book Excerpt

The Spirit of Stone-and-Light Canyon

Abby’s heartbeat kicked up another notch. “Did … did you really see a ghost? The spirit?” She held her breath. Her fingers nervously twirled the strands of hair.

Abby hoped the answer was yes. She wanted the spirit to be real. She wanted to find it—or him—or whatever. All of a sudden, images of her nightmare popped into her head, and her hands became still. Or did she?

Miss Ramos placed her cup on the scarred table, folded her hands tightly on her lap, and leaned her head against the back of the sofa. Her eyes twitched behind closed lids.

The room was silent, the air so still Abby felt she had to whisper. “Miss Ramos?” she said softly.

Miss Ramos opened her eyes, but they remained unblinking. “No, I didn’t see it. But …” Her voice was barely audible.

“But what?” asked Abby.

Miss Ramos shook her head. “No, I can’t …”

Abby’s eyes traveled over Miss Ramos’s face—blank eyes, a slight twitch of the lips. Things were turning weird. She was losing the old lady. She had to speed things up. She needed answers.

“Miss Ramos, did this canyon have a name?”

After a moment, Miss Ramos pushed herself off the sofa and weaved her way through the stacks of rocks. She lifted one stone from the floor and turned it over and over in her hands. She had her back to Abby, but Abby heard the words clearly.

“Stone-and-Light Canyon,” Miss Ramos said in a trembling voice. “It’s called Stone-and-Light Canyon.”

Abby was thrilled by the canyon’s mysterious-sounding name. She walked over to Miss Ramos, whose back was still turned. At five foot nine, Abby towered over the old lady.

“Miss Ramos, we both know what I came here for,” she said.

Miss Ramos remained silent.

Abby leaned over, and her voice became urgent. “Tell me how to find this canyon.”